Stocking and display fixture



1933- E. o. BODKIN STOCKING AND DISPLAY FIXTURE Filed NOV. 14, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l ll/III!!! I N VEN TOR EJJW/N 0. BODK/N A TTORNEYS Patented D... s, 1933 PATENT OFFICE STOGKIN G AND DISPLAY FIXTURE Edwin 0. Bodkin, Royal Oak, Mlcln, assignor to McCord Radiator & Manufacturing Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Maine Application November 14, 1930 Serial No. 495,589

4 Claims. (01. 248-19) This invention relates to fixtures or racks designed for the purpose of carrying and displaying various kinds and assortments of manufactured products. The invention is particularly adapted for use by jobbers, dealers and others where it is desirable not only to carry on hand in a minimum space stocks of articles and accessories in various sizes, forms and assortments, but also to carry them on display in order to increase the sale thereof while at the same time reducing the amount of shelf and counter space otherwise required.

An object of the invention'is to provide an improved stocking and display fixture whereby various assortments of articles may be stocked on display, the means for supporting the articles being of an interchangeable nature and readily capable of being selectively disposed to accommodate in stacks units of all sizes and shapes, and permitting any desirable grouping or arrangement of the units.

A further object is to provide a fixture of the foregoing type having a supporting rack or strip, preferably of sheet metal, formed with a series of perforations or slots and having hangers adapted to be mounted on the rack or strip according to any desired system or arrangement by inserting or lacing the ends of the hangers into any of the slots.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation illustrating a rack or display fixture embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on lines 2-2 of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of one form of the invention with the parts partly assembled.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through lines 4-4 of Fig. 3 illustrating the parts assembled.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the form shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the fixture shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view illustrating the method of assembling the hanger bars.

Before explaining in detail the present invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention bar is of sheet metal and has a series of perforais capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, and it is not intended to limit the invention beyond the terms of the'several claims hereto appended as considered in view of the prior art and the requirements thereof.

Referring first to Figs. 3, 4, 6, and '7, the fixture in this instance may comprise a channeled supporting member or rack bar 9 having flanges 9a provided with screw holes to permit the member to be attached, for example, to a wall. This tions in the form of slots 10 uniformly spaced apart and arranged relatively close together. The articles, such as gaskets, which are to be stocked on display, are strung on hooks or hanger devices 11 each comprising a metal bar with a hooked outer end 11a, the inner end portion of each bar having in cooperation with any one of the slots 10 a self-locking construction. For this purpose the bar 11 is provided with an offset portion or upstanding shoulder 12 and also -with a head 13 extending above the top of the shoulder 12 and terminating short of the lower edge of the bar. This head 13 is separated from the shoulder 12 by means of a notch 14 and from the end of the bar by a second notch 15. As shown particularly in Fig. 4 the notches 14 and 15 are staggered an amount corresponding to the thickness of the member 9, the notch 14 lying in a vertical plane in front of the face of the member 9 when the parts are'assembled, and the notch 15 lying in the vertical plane thereof. In rear of the notch 14 the head 13 is cut away or stepped to provide a notch or recess 14a in vertical alignment with the notch 15 and of a depth to accommodate the thickness of the metal strip 9.

In the present instance it will be seen that the head 13 of the hanger bar has a height substantially greater than the length of each slot 10, providing abutments 13a and 132) effective to engage the rear face of the strip 9 above and below the ends of the slot 10 when the parts are assembled as shown in Fig. 4. The attaching end of the hanger bar 11 is therefore assem bled in any one of the slots by lacing it through the slot in the manner illustrated in Fig. '7, the upper end 13a of the head being first inserted to clear the lower end 13b in'the slot, and the bar forced downwardly until the bottom edge of the slot 10 fits snugly into the notch 15.

per edge 17a engages the bottom of the notch 14. With this construction the jaws 18 will engage opposite faces of the bar 11, bracing it and preventing side play. At the same time the shoulder 12 will overlie and abut against the face of the clamp 16 above notch 17, the construction thereby rigidly clamping the hanger bar in position.

In the present instance the plate 16 is also constructed to form a tag or card holder. To this end the plate is stamped to provide a pair of tongues 19 facing each other and forming there between a guide-way through which may be inserted a card or tag 22, and is also stamped to form a tongue 20 to receive the lower edge of the tag and hold it in position. member 16 may also be provided with projecting lugs 21 serving as finger holds to facilitate assembly or withdrawal of the member.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the display rack in this instance comprises a rectangular frame 23 made up of metal T-sections suitably secured together. To the inwardly extending flanges 23a of this frame is secured a metal sheet 24 which in the form illustrated is perforated to provide horizontal rows of slots 10 arranged in staggered relation. This rack may be hinged so as to swing horizontally and display either face of the sheet 24, and as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 is provided with upper and lower hinge brackets 25 having openings through which extend hinge pins 26 carried by plates 27 secured to the wall. Since the slots 10 in the sheet 24 open at both sides of the sheet, it will be seen that hanger bars 11 may be mounted in the same slots at either face of the rack thereby enabling assortments of stock to be carried at both sides of the rack.

As will be observed from the foregoing each hook or hanger bar 11 is connected directly to the display face of the rack or fixture and is supported in projected position therefrom. Each hook may be attached in any one of the slots, and in the constructions illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5 may be mounted at either vertical face of the fixture. In the present case the invention has been illustrated for use in stocking different sizes or assortments of gaskets S although it is understood that the invention may be used in connection with various other kinds of articles. The articles to be carried on the rack, such as gaskets, usually vary considerably in shape and size, as a result of which it has heretofore been impossible to arrange the stacks according to a The locking desired system of grouping without waste of space owing to the lack of flexibility in positioning the hanger hooks in connection with previous fixtures of this character. According to the present invention, however, the slots in the supporting sheet or strip are relatively close to- 'gether, the entire display face of the flxture in Fig. 1 being provided with these slots, whereby the hanger members may be interchangeably mounted at innumerable adjusted positions to permit close grouping of the stacks irrespective of the shape or size of the articles. The maximum flexibility is thus provided by the invention allowing the user all possible latitude in arranging stock for display with the greatest economy in space.

I claim:

1. A display fixture comprising a sheet metal support having a series of slots, a hanger bar l having at one end an abutment insertable through a slot and engageable with the rear face of the support at opposite ends of the slot, said bar having a front abutment spaced from the front face of the support, and an independently removable plate slotted to straddle said bar and slidable vertically to project between said front abutment and support in cooperative engagement therewith for locking the bar in position.

2. A display fixture comprising a support having a series of slots, a hanger bar having at one end an abutment insertable through a slot and engageable with the rear face of the support, said bar being notched at its upper edge in advance of the front face of the support, and a member straddling said bar and having a portion slidable into position to fit within said notch against the face of the support, said member being removable from the support independently of said bar.

3. In a display fixture, a support having a slot, at flat hanger bar terminating in abutments insertable edgewise through the slot to engage the rear face of the support beyond opposite ends of the slot, and a locking plate slotted for shiftable movement into and out of position on the bar when the latter is mounted on the support for locking said abutments in position against the support.

4. In a display fixture, a support having a slot, a. hanger bar terminating in abutments insertable through the slot to engage the rear face of the support beyond opposite ends of the slot, and a plate for locking said abutments in position against the support, said plate and bar having interfltting slotted portions cooperable by sliding the plate vertically over the edge of the bar when the latter is in position on the support. 

